Calgary SB Marquay McDaniel: Quietly cobbling together a career season, McDaniel leads the Stamps in receiving with 60 catches for 795 yards. Steady, with deceptive speed, McDaniel is the lone American constant in a receiving corps decimated all season long with injuries. With Maurice Price and Joe West back, McDaniel, 29, should have even more room now to work his magic over the middle.

Calgary DE Cordarro Law: Toiling in the shadow of his teammate on the other end of the defensive line, the second-year Stampeder has established himself as one of the most punishing quarterback hunters in the league with 11 sacks, just four back of league-leading Alex Hall, of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and two back of Calgary’s Charleston Hughes. Stamps fans best enjoy Law while they can, with the Southern Mississippi product likely getting a look in the NFL this coming off-season.

B.C. LB Adam Bighill: A strong candidate for the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player, Bighill continues to cement his reputation as one of the most menacing linebackers. In spite of missing a couple weeks with sprained ankle, the third-year Lion has pitched in with 72 defensive tackles, nine special-teams tackles, six sacks and one interception return for a touchdown. Destined for another berth on the CFL all-star team.

B.C. K Paul McCallum: One of these days, the greybeard will retire, but don’t bet on it happening any time soon. At 43, McCallum defies his birth certificate daily as the oldest active player in the Canadian Football League. His leg has yet to betray him, with a field-goal conversion rate of 82 per cent and a punting average of 41.5 yards. A timeless wonder. Saskatchewan’s loss will forever remain B.C.’s gain.

IN THE HOT SEAT

B.C. RB Andrew Harris: Regularly mentioned in the same breath as Calgary counterpart Jon Cornish until recent times, the Lions tailback badly needs to get back on track to take pressure off QB Thomas DeMarco. Harris managed to accumulate just six yards last week on 10 carries in a 31-17 home loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Harris has not eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in a single game since a 38-12 road loss to the Toronto Argonauts on July 30. In the words of general manager Wally Buono, the Lions running game is virtually non-existent. Something needs to change- and fast.

STAMPS M.A.S.H. UNIT GROWS

It’s been that kind of year (again) for Calgary and a terrible week with three players gone for the season with torn anterior cruciate ligaments in the knee. Done are LB Alvin Bowen, FB Wilkerson DeSouza and WR Chris Bauman. Add in the fact Matt Walter is concussed, and the Stamps are forced to rearrange the deck chairs for the umpteenth time this season. In spite of the carnage, the coaching staff is eager to see what former NFL Pro Bowler Clifton Smith can do on returns. Import LB Glenn Love will attempt to fill the massive cleats of Bowen — one of the best down-field tacklers on special teams.

GAME BREAKER

B.C. KR Tim Brown: The Stampeders need no formal introductions to the five-foot-eight, 190-pounder given the fact he torched them for a 97-yard kickoff return back on Aug. 17 at BC Place Stadium. Given the constant rash of injuries, the Stamps have struggled at times this season with kick coverage. That’s understandable given the constant change of characters, but Smith will no doubt make Calgary pay if/when a slight crease opens before him.

The Stamps are tied with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the league lead in quarterback sacks (48) and they are tops in the CFL on the offensive line with fewest sacks allowed (28) . . The last time Calgary finished a season at No. 1 in both categories was 1994 ... Calgary RB Jon Cornish needs just 48 rushing yards to break his own record for most rushing yards by a Canadian in a single season (1,457) set in 2012 ... The Lions are the only team to hold the Stamps under 300 yards of net offence this season, with that stingy defensive performance coming in a 26-22 B.C. victory on Aug. 17 in Vancouver ... With a victory over the Lions, the Stamps can pull six points ahead of their West Coast rivals in the race for first place in the West Division. “If we’re to get where we want to ultimately get to, we’re going to have to beat the Stampeders,” says Lions head coach Mike Benevides. “This is an outstanding football team with tremendous balance, and it’s going to be a huge challenge for us. You can’t undersell the value of this game. It’s a huge game for both teams. Certainly, it puts them closer to what they want, and certainly we want the same thing. So it should be one heck of a ball game.”

MATCHUPS

When the Stamps run: With Jon Cornish running the rock, the Stamps boast the best ground attack in the land with an average of 143.2 yard per game. With the receiving corps getting healthy, Cornish is afforded more room to work as teams can no longer solely focus on shutting him down at the expense of everything else. The bigger the game, the better Cornish plays. Friday night should be no exception. STAMPEDERS

When the Stamps pass: The Lions are a stingy bunch, especially when it comes to defending an aerial assault. B.C. leads the league with just 3,454 passing yards against (for an average of 246.7 passing yards surrendered per game. With the addition of a healthy Joe West and Maurice Price to the Calgary receiving corps, the Stamps have the speed to inflict damage, and quarterback Kevin Glenn is one of the best in the league at delivering the ball precisely where it needs to be. EVEN

When the Lions run: Running behind a re-tooled offensive line, Lions RB Andrew Harris has struggled at times this season with 158 carries for 760 yards and an average of just 4.8 yards. Calgary’s defence against the run ranks as an area for (slight) concern with the Stamps surrendering an average of 107.7 yards on the ground per game. Much of that real estate has come in garbage time, but Juwan Simpson, Demonte’ Bolden and Co. realize there’s work to be done. EVEN

When the Lions pass: Thomas DeMarco has shown flashes this season in relief of the injured Travis Lulay, but he’s still a work in progress. The sophomore quarterback has completed 58-of-101 passes for 721 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Decent numbers, but the Stamps are the second-best team in the land at defending the pass (behind only B.C.) Calgary defensive backs Fred Bennett, Brandon Smith, Derrius Brooks, Jamar Wall and Eric Fraser take turns to have big games The flat-out speed of B.C. WR Emmanuel Arceneaux means the Stamps must beware at all times of the big play. STAMPEDERS

Special-teams: With a ridiculous conversion rate of 95.3 per cent, the Stamps have the edge on every team in the CFL when it comes to field goals. They call Rene Paredes Mr. Automatic for a reason. Greybeard Paul McCallum handles all kickoffs, field goals and punts for the Lions. He’s more than adequate at all three positions, but lacks the leg of Paredes or Calgary punter Rob Maver at this stage of his career ... On returns, the Stamps have proven porous at times this season in part due to the rash of injuries. They need to shore that up this week with Tim Brown ready to take advantage of the slightest crease. STAMPEDERS

Intangibles: Don’t discount the power of desperation. The Lions badly need this one, with Calgary holding a four-point cushion in the race for first in the West. Should the Stamps win, the Lions will face a six-point deficit with three games remaining on the docket. Insurmountable? Pretty much. On the other hand, the Stamps realize what’s at stake, and the veteran-laden squad fully comprehends just how vital home advantage is in the West final (not to mention a week off to rest up from the pounding of the regular season.) LIONS

Stamps win if: They stick to what got them here in the first place with attention to the tiny details of the game like discipline (they’ve given up just 939 yards in penalties this year — the lowest total in the land) and ball security (they lead the league with a giveaway-take-away ratio of plus-18.) Patience is key, as a steady diet of attacking both through the air and on the ground should pay dividends. On defence, neutralizing Andrew Harris is key.

Lions win if: They keep it close early and don’t allow the Stamps to run away with the game in the first quarter. Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but limiting the damage inflicted by Jon Cornish is paramount. RB Andrew Harris needs a big game for the Lions to escape Calgary with two crucial points.

For classic, I’m going to go with Goof Troop, just because we were talking about it not too long ago. And modern, you’ve got to go with the movies. I really love UP. That’s a great film. That counts as a cartoon. It’s animated. It’s heartwarming, and you just have to watch it.

Pets?

I’ve got a dog. His name is Rowdy. A border collie. He’s a menace. He’s a good guy, but he loves to fetch.

First car?

It was an Oldsmobile. I think it was a Cutlass. It was pretty nasty. The fabric on the roof was falling down, so it was like you were in a blanket fort when you were driving.

You’re CFL commissioner for the day, what’s your first priority?

I’m moving the season ahead in the year one month, so kickoff is June 1 instead of July 1. And then Grey Cup is competing with Halloween instead of a huge snowfall. I’m totally OK with that.

Favourite movie?

It’s a tight race between The Boondock Saints and The Dark Knight.

Rob Cote is having people over for dinner, what is he cooking?

You can ask Karl McCartney. If I’m having people over to impress them — the boys, specifically — I’m going to do my signature burgers. I do a pork-beef mixture stuffed with cheese and a whole bunch of secret ingredients I can’t tell you — but they’re pretty serious.

Favourite CFL road city?

It’s a really tight race between Montreal and Vancouver. Montreal, that city never sleeps. There’s always something to do. It’s very cool, very metropolitan. Everybody is walking around. There’s infinite restaurants and everything. I guess that’s the same in Vancouver, but you get the sea and the sushi there. You can’t go wrong.

Favourite book?

I’m a book-lover, so it’s tough. I’m going with a series. I’ll throw it out there. Harry Potter. I read them all. I watched the movies. I loved them all, and I’m not embarrassed to share it.

Career plans?

I’ve got my business degree from the U of C in operations management, so hopefully I can stay in the city that I love and grew up in and put that to use somewhere.

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